Political Quotes

“while I agree with the sentiments expressed by many of my House colleagues about the need for Israel to defend itself, I do not think that this is the right time for Congress to take sides in the Israel-Palestine affair. In foreign affairs America should speak with one voice. The president has said that this resolution only complicates an already complicated situation in the Middle East. Instead of having a separate congressional message, I believe we should be giving the President greater leeway to act as an honest broker between the Israelis and Palestinians and formulate a policy that will stop the violence and get negotiations going forward. On April 10, I met with former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the current fighting in the Middle East. He stressed the difficulty of negotiating with the Palestinians, and warned that if the suicide bombings in Israel do not stop, then they may spread to the United States with 'suitcase bombs.' But the U.S., as a military superpower and an economic superpower as well, can exert considerable pressure on both sides to encourage a resolution. Secretary of State Colin Powell confronted an almost intractable set of problems on his peace mission to the Middle East. The Israeli government continues to occupy parts of the Palestinian Authority's territory despite requests to desist and withdraw from President Bush.”